1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for combining (synthesizing) a plurality of video image data, more particularly relates to an apparatus for synthesizing video image data of a pseudo camera position from a plurality of video image data.
2. Description of the Background Art
When an announcer, etc., addresses & TV camera in a television news program, etc., the announcer is shot while reading sentences projected on a display device. Therefore, he makes an effort to focus on the words on the display screen while directing his eyes to the TV camera as much as possible. Since the TV camera is placed on the display device, the display device is not shot by the TV camera and it looks to the viewers like the announcer is directing his eyes at the TV camera.
However, if the viewers look closely, they can see that the announcer is looking at words under the TV camera and end up noticing that he is not looking at them. The same thing occurs in video telephones. The fact that the other party is speaking without looking at one's own eyes sometimes feels unnatural. Alternatively, even in a case of just shooting an object, sometimes there is a camera position at which shooting is not possible due to an obstacle, so the object cannot be shot from a specific direction.
The present invention was made so as to solve the above-mentioned problems and has as an object thereof to eliminate the deviation the lines of sight of in the case where use is made of a TV camera to which the line of sight originally should be directed and a display device to which the line of sight is actually directed and to enable shooting from a desired camera position even if an obstacle exists.